Brush cutter



3 Sheets-Sheet pfff J. SVENDSGAARD BRUSH CUTTER Filed March 8, 1926 A p 3o, 1929.

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April 30, 1929- J. rsvEhuDsG/MARD 1,710,749

BRUSH CUTTER Filed March 8, 1926 3 Sheets-Sheet :2

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BRUSH CUTTER Filed March 8, 1926 s sheets-sheet 5 is Mw' afs" hors nl are journaled therein.

Patented Apr. 30, 1929.

vUNITED STATES 1,710,749 PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN SVENDSGAABD, F EBHABD, MINNESOTA.

BRUSH CUTTER.

Application filed Hai-ch 8, 1926. Serial No. 92,989.

My present invention has for its object to providea highly efficient machine .for use in quickly and economically cutting heavy brush, young trees and undergrowth of such nature usually found on cut over land, on roadways, highways, fences and lields, and in a timber country. The machine is also well adapted for cutting down such growth as willows in pastures and other grassy lands to increase the growth of grass. Said machine is also well adapted to cut heavy weeds, reeds and the like.

To the above end, the ini-',ention consists of the novel devices and combinations ,of devices hereinafter described and defined in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, which illustrate the invention, like characters indicate like parts throughout the several views.

Referring to the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a fragmentary plan view of the invention Fig. 2 is a View principally in rear elevation with some parts broken away, some parts being in section and other parts shown by means of broken lines;

Fig. 3 is a view principally in vertical section taken -on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary perspective view of the invention; and

Fig. 5 is a detail IView with some parts sectioned on the line 5 5 of Fig. 4;.

The numeral 6 indicates a vehicle in the form of a truck which may be drawn either by draft animals or it may be propelled by a motor mounted directly thereon. rl`his truck 6 has mounted thereon an internal combustion engine 7 having in its iiy wheel 8 a clutch surface 9 with which eo-,operates a cone clutch 10.

The cutter of the machine comprises, as shown, a plurality of radially spaced circular saws 11 that extend outward from the right side of the truck 6. These saws 11 are overlapped, arranged to cut in a horizontal plane, and their front toothed edges form a continuous cutting edge. These saws 11 are mounted between a wide upper .guard plate 12 and a lower cross tiebar 13, and their ar- Said guard plate 12 and tiebar 13 extend horizontally at right angles to the truck 6 and have their ends secured to the supplemental frame 15 mounted on a main frame 16 for forward or backward horizontal sliding movements. A pair of coiled springs 17 anchored to the main frame 1.6 is connected to the supplemental frame 15 and yieldingly holds said supplemental frame in its real-most position with the saws 11 retracted.

The main frame 16 is mounted for travelling movement parallel to that of the truck on a plurality of laterally spaced runners 18 and a wheel 19 journaled on the outer end of said Iframe. The main frame 16 is secured to the truck 6 by a heavy horizontal bar 20 intermediately pivoted at 21 to the horizontal arm 22 of an L-shaped bracket, the upright arm 23 of which is mounted for raising and lowering movements in a bearing 24 on the right side of said truck. A heavy hinge 25 connects the inner end'of the main frame 16 to the outer end of the bar 20. 'lhis hinge 25 connects the main frame 16 to the truck 6 for vertical swingino movement. A spring-held dog 26 pivoted to the bracket arm 22 back of the bar 20 normally holds said bar against horizontal Swingin'r movement on its pivot 21. Said dog 26 af fords a base of resistance for the bar 2O to hold the saws 11 to their work. A heavy coiled spring 27 anchored to a rear extension 28 on the bearing 24 is attached to the inner end of the bar 20 and under tension to,

swing the main frame 16 forward.

To drive the saws 11 from the engine 7 the clutch 10 is mounted on a shaft 29 for axial sliding movement, and which shaft extends longitudinally of the truck 6, is journaled in bearings thereon, and has mounted thereon a bevel gear 30 that meshes with a bevel pinion 31. This pinion 31 is secured to the inner end of a transverse shaft 32 comprising three sections connected by universal joints 33. The outer end of the shaft 32 is connected by a universal joint 34 to the arbor of the lnner saw 11. The intermediate section of the shaft 32 is mounted in a bearing 35 on the bracket arm 23, and the inner and outer sections of said shaft each comprise a pair of telescopically connected members that are longitudinally adjustable. I

The outer and intermediate saws 11 are driven from the inner saw 11, and in the same direction, by a sprocket chain 36 that runs over sprocket wheels 37 on the arbors of the saws 11. Guide rollers 3S journaled in the guard plate 12 hold the sprocket chain 36 in mesh with the sprocket wheels 37.

A coiled spring 39 on the shaft 29 holdsthe clutch 10 set and to release the clutch,

Jdie same is provided with a shipper lever intcrmediately pivoted to the truck 6 and connected by a link 41 to a foot pedal 42. Obviously, the jointed and longitudinally adjustable shaft 32 permits the mam frame 16 topartake of horizontal and vertical swinging movements and it also permits the raising and lowering of said frame and the bracket 22-23.

To move the supplemental frame 15 forward against the tension of the spring 17 to project the saws 11, the rear end of said frame is connected to the rear end of the main frame 16 by a pair of toggle levers 43. The members of these levers 43 that are connected to the main frame 16 have rearward extensions connected by a link 44. For ioperating the link 44 to simultaneously straighten the toggle levers 43 and thereby project the saws l1 there is provided a foot pedal 45 mounted on the truck G and connected by a cable 46 to the link 44, and which cable runs over a guide sheave 46. For vertically swinging the main frame 16 and also for holding the same raised therel is provided a latch lever 47 and a co-operating segment 48 on the truck 6 connected by a cable 49 to said frame. This cable ,49 lis arranged to run over a guide shcave 5() on the truck 6.

To bodily raise and lower the mam frame 16 the bracket arm 23 is provided with a rack 51 with which meshes a spur pin-ion 52 secured to a transverse shaft 53 journaled in bearings on the truck 6 and having a ratchet wheel 54 with which co-operates a pawl 55 carried by an upstanding arm 56 pivoted on the shaft 53. A dog 55 1s provided to prevent backward rotation of the ratchet wheel 54. The arm 56 is oscillated from a foot lever 57 by a rod 58 to operate the pawl 55 and thereby rotate the shaft 53.

A skeleton brush guard 59 is mounted on the truck 6 and for releasing the dog 26 there is attached thereto a cable 6() that runs through a guide eye 61 on the truck 6 and a guide eye 62 on the guard 59.

The operation of the above described brush cutter may be briefly described as follows:

As previously stated, the truck 6 may be drawn by draft animals or a tractor or motor mounted directly thereon. The purpose of independently operating the truck from the saws is to permit the truck to be operated at any desired speed While the proper speed for the saws is maintained, and it also permits the truck to remain idle while the saws are in operation if the nature of the work necessitates such an operation.l

The saws may be projected to any desired extent, depending on the kind of material being cut, by operating the foot pedal 45, and in case .there should be an obstruction such as a stump or stone in front of the "saws, the same may be elevated to pass thereover by either vertically swinging the main frame 16 by the latch lever 47 or raising the bracket 22-23 by operatin the foot pedal 57. In case there should e a large tree in front of the saws, the dog 26 may be` released by pulling on thecable 60 to release the arm 22 and permit the main frame, 16 to be swung.; rearward by the engagement of the front edge portion of said main frame with the tree, as indicated in Fig. 3, and pass by the tree or other obstruction. As

soon as the saws have passed such an obstruction the spring 27 will return the main as Well as the operator, from falling brush or trees.

By'operating the foot pedal 42 the clutch may be released at will to stop the rotation of the saws 11. The pivot 25 and jointed shaft 32 will permit the main frame 16 to travel at various different angles to a horizontal plane in respect to the truck 6 to adjust the same on uneven ground and adapt the machine for cutting brush and other materials on the banks of a roadway or at the side of the ditch of a roadway.

When the machine is not at "work and when travelling from place to place the bracket 22-23 may be raised to bodily lift the main frame 16 and said frame may also be swung in its uppermost position on the pivot 25 and thus held by the latch lever 47.

What I claim is:

1. A brush cutter including a portable main frame, and a supplemental frame mounted on the main frame for forward and rearward movements, a lurality o'f radially spaced overlapped circu ar saws mounted on t e supplemental frame, power means for driving the saws, and means for adjusting the supplemental frame to feed the saws t their work.

2. A brush cutter including a portable main frame, and -a supplemental frame mounted on the main frame for forward and rearward movements, a plurality of radially spaced overlapped circular saws mounted on the supplemental frame, power means for driving the saws, yielding means for holding the supplemental frame with the saws retracted, and means for moving the supplemental frame on the main arm to -feed the saws to their work.

3. A brush cutter including a portable main frame, and a supplemental frame mounted on the main frame for forward and rearward movements, a plurality of radially spaced overlapped circular saws mounted on the supplemental frame, power means for driving the saws, springs operative on the supplemental frame and normally holdingr the same with the saws retracted, and manually controlled means for moving theV supplemental frame on the main arm to feed the saws to their wOrk. V

4. The combination with a vehicle, of 'a frame mounted to travel with and at one side of the vehicle for vertical swinging movement and' rearward horizontal lswinging; movement, manually controlledmeans normally holding the frame against rearward' swinging movement, a saw mounted on' the frame, a motor on the vehicle, and driving connections from the motor :for operating the saw.v 5 The combination with a vehicle, of a frame mounted to travel with and at one side of the vehicle for vertical swinging movement and rearward horizontal swinging movement, a spring for returning the frame to normal position from a rearwardly swung position, manually controlled means for holding the frame in normal position and against backward swinging movement, a saw mounted on the frame, and power means for driving the saw. v

6. The combination with a vehicle, of a main frame mounted `to travel with and 'at i one side ofthevehicle for verticalswinging ,movement and -horizontal rearward swing# main frame'for' forward and rearward movements, a saw .mounted on the supplemental frame, power means for driving thesaw, and means for moving the supplemental frame on the lnain frame to feed the saws to their` wor 7. The combination with'a vehicle, of a frame mounted to travel with and at one' side of the vehicle for vertical swinging movement, a saw mounted on the frame for forward and rearward movements, power 'meansfor driving the saw,'means for moving the saw in respect to the movement of the vehicle to feed the saws to their work and a guard for the saw movable therewith.

In testimony whereof I'aiix my signature;

JOHN SYENDSGA'ARD.

ackward swinging move-4 

